It’s been awhile since I’ve been excited about a new K-Cup, but Green Mountain Founder’s Blend is truly noteworthy. My mom picked this one up at the store recently. She’s been staying with my family a lot since our twin baby girls were born (December 2015).

I’m having a hard time wanting anything else to drink in the morning besides a cup of the Founder’s Blend. It’s smooth and rich, with very little bitterness. It has some sweet tones to it as well, almost chocolaty. Brewed at the 8oz setting, I’m finding it just right. Any more than that and you don’t pick up all the enjoyable flavor.

This might be my favorite Green Mountain K-Cup so far. I usually go for other brands, but I’m sure glad my mom decided to give this one a try!

Many of my friends and family own a Keurig. They go on and on about its convenience and how much cheaper it is than buying coffee from Starbucks. So why no Keurig for me? Besides the new Keurig 2.0 models not allowing the capability to brew your own coffee, there are a few other reasons to pass on the Keurig.

Cost. According to a recent post by Business Insider, the cost of a cup of Keurig coffee is about $50 a pound. Sound crazy? Well, it isn’t. Every one of those tiny K-Cups retail for somewhere between .31 cents to a dollar, with an average of about $.60 a K-Cup. And while this is cheaper than a cup of “black” at your local coffee house, compare that to the cost of one pot of drip coffee. CoffeeDetective.com suggests that the typical cup of drip brand name (Starbucks, Peets, etc.) coffee retails for around $.27 a cup. That’s roughly half the cost of drinking a K-Cup.

Volume.The Huffington Post recently reported that the average American consumes 2.1 cups per day, putting our numbers at $190 per year for the Coffee Potters and $800 for the K-Cuppers.” I drink more than a cup of coffee in a sitting. Honestly, I can nurse a whole pot if it’s available. Translation, I’m probably in the over 2.1 cups of coffee per day crowd, and somewhere around my third trip to a Keurig, the value of convenience is diminishing.

Heat. Keurig maintains that the best heat to brew at is 192 degrees Celsius. While opinions differ on what the best heat is, many coffee snobs prefer temperatures in excess of 195. Several Keurig fans suggest that you use room temperature water to brew and pre-warm your cup. These suggestions seem out of place with the purpose of the Keurig, which is convenience.

Quality. I’m not suggesting that Keurig coffee is bad. I save that criticism for Folgers or instant varieties, but fresh ground coffee is better. The documentation available to support this is abundant. With so many micro-roasters and mainstream blends to choose from, I can’t even imagine someone posing a significant counter-argument.

Machine: The machine is expensive and not as reliable as I would expect when paying for a premium coffee brewer. Keurig’s new 2.0 machine retails around $150. That is roughly $100 more than a great drip brewer. Common complaints about the K-Cup brewer range from calcium build-up, airflow problems (mainly from stuck coffee grounds), and warm-up time. In fact, my good friend who runs kcupbarista.com actually suggests that sometimes the best thing you can do while trouble-shooting your Keurig is to turn it upside down and give it a good spank.

Some gadgets are great, but for me the Keurig isn’t my cup of *cough* tea.

About the author: John appreciates wildebeests, eucalyptus, and coffee brewed in most ways not involving pods. He experiences daily adventure with his wife and 5 kids in Boise, Idaho.

Fall is upon us. It’s the season of the pumpkin. I’m ashamed to say, I tried this one so long ago that now I’ve forgotten who gave it to me. Whoever you are, thank you. It was delicious!

This is a really pleasant coffee, one that a non-flavored coffee drinker like me could enjoy. I actually drank it alongside a pumpkin muffin so maybe that helped make the difference in how yummy the coffee tasted.

In case you’re wondering, I do think Dunkin’ Donuts Pumpkin is better than Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice. It’s smoother, and you can taste more spice. The trouble is that Dunkin’ Donuts K-Cups are much harder to get your mitts on. You have to either buy them from a Dunkin’ store, Amazon, or eBay, and they are not cheap.

If you can get your hands on this K-Cup without spending a fortune, you’ll be glad you did. And, enjoy this beautiful fall season!

“Yes, slapping your clogged machine usually works to clear the clog. But, usually at least, you should not have to do this — you can easily prevent the main source of clogs (excepting built up calcification) by relieving the (very common) internal pressure in the cups before starting the brews. I have posted several times on this problem and have just finished a thorough web-search on the issue — found several others who have also noticed this problem, and cured it much the same way I did: just puncture the cups before brewing — VERY easy to do. Just push the cup firmly down onto the lower needle before closing the “clamshell” and puncturing the lid of the K-cup! (emphasis mine) This punctures the cup and relieves the pressure safely, since the lower needle does not puncture the internal filter in the cup.

The upper needle, in contrast, dips directly into the coffee powder, and any internal pressure puffs some of the powder out into the hollow needle itself and/or into the surrounding area. This is an effective clogging process, if the cup has not been de-pressurized! One reason most K-cups are pressurized is that most people do not live at sea-level — at higher elevations, instead. And, atmospheric pressure is substantially less at higher elevations; so their cups will be pressurized by significant amounts. Also, some cups may be pressurized, even at sea level, as the manufacturers might fill the cups using some excess pressure. Make no mistake. this pressurized cup issue is REAL AND COMMON. Others besides me have noted it.

As for me, I had a particularly strong clogging problem (I live at 7000 ft elevation. I typically could not get even a few brews before my machine would clog! This happened about 6 times, within a week, and I was about to return my “piece of junk”. But, I noticed the tightly bulging lids on my K-cups, and the issue became obvious. When I punctured my cups first, the problem instantly disappeared! — never to return, after hundreds of brews! At first, I just used a needle to pre-puncture my cups –until Rob, another contributor here, mentioned that the lower needle passes to the side of the internal filter. So, just pushing the cup down onto the lower needle before closing the cup-holder would safely relieve the internal pressure! This takes less than a second longer than just placing the cup into the recess and closing the holder.

Repeat: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY ZERO DOUBT THAT INTERNAL PRESSURE IN THE CUPS IS THE MAJOR CLOGGING ISSUE!! It is up to you to take the utterly minute trouble to relieve that pressure, or very likely suffer far more clogs than otherwise. OR, you might try a new cup style: Kroger brands, perhaps others by now, use an “open” style cup (their “Simple Truth” model). The filter is “bare” — sticks out at the bottom of the cup — so there can be no excess pressure inside the cup. I have been using these lately and they have worked perfectly! — and, with NO failures of the filter, despite its protruding (strong filter, I guess). Note to the site-provider: please place information about the pressure issue at the entry of this site! This is something that should be understood by ALL K-cup users.”

I’m finally getting out of my blogging slump and have the urge to write again. I’m not sure how long the feeling will last, so I’m seizing the day. Maybe it’s part of the pre-baby preparation. Lately, I can’t stop thinking about improvements to my yard. Probably because I will be spending a lot of time at home with baby and want it to be pleasant to be outside (or inside and looking out the windows).

My friend Liz surprised me with a care package of K-Cups recently. So sweet and unexpected! This is the same friend who found a little blurb from my blog in a Reader’s Digest article a few months ago. She is encouraging me in my K-Cup hobby. So far I’ve tried the San Francisco Bay Foglifter and loved it!

To be honest, many other things take precedence. I’m enjoying the one-on-one time with my 3-year-old son while his brother is at school. I also have my fingers in a handful of books right now including The Return of the King and One Thousand Gifts.

I tried Tully’s Hawaiian in hopes that it would be similar to Tully’s Kona. It sort of is but just not as good or captivating. Ah, well. I will continue my quest for a new favorite.

I had a sample of Peet’s Domingo this morning. (Did you know they have single cups now?) Domingo is okay; kind of smoky and definitely better with the 10oz brew setting. Next on the list are Peet’s House and Major Dickason’s blends.

This is my first post since becoming pregnant with my 3rd child over 6 months ago. I have anywhere from 5-10 weeks left depending on if the little tyke goes over his due date (July 3rd). I decided to venture out to my favorite coffee shop in downtown Boise this morning to blog but didn’t consider the beautiful weather and that people would be out in force. I had to park some blocks away.

I’m almost always in pain when I walk now and with carrying a bulky laptop, thought I was going to split in half. Now that I am here I don’t think I am going to leave. Ever. I joked with my husband that I’m going to need a wheelchair by the end of the pregnancy. This has been the hardest of the three. Maybe it’s my age (almost 35) or maybe this boy is just extra heavy. It is worth the pain and suffering, but as my husband jokes, “What’s life if you can’t complain?”

I have so much I could catch you up on from the last half year, but you probably came here for the review, right?

My friend Jamie has been keeping me in the K-Cup loop these days. She picks up many of the new kinds. She graciously gave me these three Gevalia cups and urged me to review them.

Have you all noticed that everyone, including your local grocery store seems to have its own single cups these days? I’m not as adventurous as I was in my early Keurig days, so I just give most of them a glance and a shrug.

I’ve decided to back off on writing too many lengthy reviews for a while and sticking to Twitter to give feedback on the ones that stand out to me.

Okay, let’s start with the Signature Blend. It has a light, pleasant aroma. At first sip, it reminded me a little of a flavored brew. It has a bitter and sweet thing going on. My least favorite thing was that it left a film on my mouth. Boo. Other observations: very slight aftertaste and a tad bitter.

Despite some of my negativity, I think I like it. Not enough to buy it, mind you, but …Signature Blend is a sweet, smooth, just slightly rich medium roast. 8oz is a good brew setting for this one.

Colombia

This is a full-bodied medium roast. I tried it on the 8oz brew setting as well. My suspicion is that the 10oz setting would work fine also, but I don’t have another one to confirm this suspicion. Gevalia Colombia doesn’t have a lot of nuance in flavor, but it’s not bad either. For those who use flavored creamer, this would be a good choice. Another bonus is its minimal aftertaste.

Dark

Jamie recommended a larger brew setting for the Dark. 10oz was good. It’s smooth but a bit drying to the mouth and has some aftertaste. Overall pleasant to drink though and ended up being my favorite of the three, probably because may taste buds tend to prefer the dark, smooth roasts.

Thanks for the samples, Jamie. And I hope these reviews are helpful to my fellow Keurig owners.

Conclusion: While I didn’t detest Gevalia, I don’t think the quality is as good as many other K-Cups, like Tully’s.

It’s October, my favorite month of the year, and a wonderful time to enjoy hot beverages. Van Houtte Harvest Blend is one I recommend you try this fall season.

I got about 7 of these in a trade. I wasn’t sure about it at first, but then Harvest Blend won me over. It has a lot of spice and pep and some delicious berry tones. It was fun to try something different too…thinking I should order again for November. Would be yummy alongside some pumpkin pie.

After a lazy spell of about two months, I saw that I actually have a decent number of visitors to the site and that gave me the little burst of inspiration I needed to write again. It feels wrong to do a post that includes hot teas in the middle of summer, but you’ll have to bear with me…or skip ahead to the iced tea notes at the end.

While I haven’t been too adventurous with the tea K-Cups, I thought it might be handy to review the ones I’ve tried all in one place. I hope this is helpful to my tea-drinking Keurig friends out there. You’ll see that each brand has its good and bad K-Cups.

While none of these particularly wow me, some are definitely better than others.

Then there is this gem that exceeds them all:

Celestial Seasonings Mandarin Orange Spice: Delicious! I can see why it was sold out at Keurig. It has wonderful smells and the taste lives up to them. This is one I would like to have on hand on a regular basis. You can taste the orange and the cinnamon and other spices really well. Good with a smidge of honey. *Thanks to Mari for the photo.

Disclaimer: This post is the opinion of one lone guest writer and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the K-cup Barista (click on pictures to read her reviews). If you really love your organic coffee and will drink nothing else, then this opinion piece may make you mad. Read at your own risk.

Oh joy, you get a guest blogger today! I have known the K-cup Barista for years now. Here is a little background on me. I, like my K-cup Barista, really like that perfectly brewed cup of coffee. I was a barista in high school. Whenever my husband and I take a trip we love to seek out the local coffee shops. Our children recognized both Starbucks and Tully’s by the age of 3. I am a coffee explorer. I don’t have a usual when I go to a coffee shop. I buy different espresso and coffee drinks, add in different syrups, and sometimes I go rogue by buying tea, gasp! At home the Keurig is a god-send to allow me to explore even more! So what does this have to do with organic coffee? I am glad you asked. Even though I really like coffee I have had a problem with organic coffee and especially the organic k-cups for a long time. Here is my review short and sweet on the following organic k-cups: Newman’s Special Blend, Coffee People Extra Bold Organic, Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve, and Coffee People Tree Hugger.

I really don’t like the Newman’s K-cup. It has the aroma of something burning. The coffee also has a burnt taste and then there is that really bitter after taste that lingers when I want it gone. Coffee People Organic Extra Bold K-cup is very similar to Newman’s. I can’t get passed the burnt smell and flavor in this K-cup. The Green Mountain Sumatran Reserve’s aroma is better but then there is that after taste. Coffee People Tree Hugger is by far the best organic I have tried. It actually smells like coffee. Only, again there is a difference in the flavor; a little something extra going on when drinking it.

I have tried in vain to find an organic k-cup that I really enjoy. Most people around me love their organic k-cups. So what is wrong with me? Well the answer is that I have a very sensitive palate or better worded: I have a more discerning palate. Having the ability to pick up on subtle nuances in food is a genetic trait I can blame on my mother. A Yale research study showed that there is such a thing as a “super-taster”. The study can be found here. I actually did an experiment in my college biology class that proved I was a super-taster.

This being said, it makes sense that when I comment on the organic coffee having an odd flavor or after taste people don’t know what I’m talking about. I will try to explain to them what is going on in my mouth. Nope, their mouth is perfectly happy with their organic k-cup. Yet, I think that I have come up with an answer for people when they ask why I don’t drink organic coffee. Coffee is supposed to be bitter this is true, but it also needs to be smooth and rich. Coffee is comparable to good chocolate, the kind that is 75% cocoa good. For me organic coffee lacks the nose of a fully developed coffee. I want to be able to smell the richness of the beans. Next, organic coffee isn’t smooth. It is a coffee that bites you back. The way organic coffees bite back at you is the after taste. I don’t know what I am tasting in the coffee. Maybe it is the manure they use as a natural fertilizer coming through in the beans? Maybe it is how they process the beans? I couldn’t say. All I know is that, for now, this palate will steer clear of most organic coffees on the market today.

So for the rest of you out there who are like me, take heart! It isn’t that you dislike organic coffee. No, on the contrary, organic coffee dislikes your highly developed taste buds. And feel free to use my comparison of coffee to chocolate when you are telling your friends and family why you won’t drink their organic coffee.

Cheers, from the Super-Taster!

_________________________Jamie lives in Idaho and co-owns a fantastic gluten-free business. Other fun facts: she plays the drums at her church and knows the best breakfast places in downtown Boise. You can find her on Twitter too!